STD Screening | Punggol | Singapore

As our clinic is conveniently located in a secluded corner in Punggol, Singapore, your confidentiality is assured. Our clinic has also been officially recognized by the Ministry of Health for the rapid testing of HIV.

STD or STI blood or urine tests are done to pick up sexually transmitted diseases (STD). These tests are run as STDs frequently do NOT have symptoms.

This means that you might feel completely normal when you are walking around with one of these:

HIV/AIDS

Syphilis

Chlamydia

Gonorrhea

Herpes

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C

Warts or Human Papillomavirus

Trichomoniasis

Please consider doing STD screening if you have the following risk factors:

Unprotected intercourse

Paid sex

Multiple partners

One night stands

MSM

History of any of the above STD or STI

Young

Forced into intercourse

Recreational drugs

Have a partner who had an STD or STI

When you come by, we have have to ask you the following questions. We ask the same questions to everyone, so please don’t feel shy:

Everything to know about HIV/AIDS (content being updated)

What is HIV?

HIV is the abbreviation for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is the virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV is transmitted through certain body fluids. Once infected, the human body cannot effectively get rid of HIV. This means that once you get HIV, you have it for life.

HIV causes sickness by damaging your immune cells, in particular the CD4 cells. When the CD4 cells reaches low enough quantity, your body is unable to defend itself from other infections and diseases. At the final stage of HIV infection, infections or cancer overcome the weakened immune system resulting in AIDS.

There are currently two known strains of HIV, HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the more common strain of HIV and is unfortunately also the one that causes more harm. HIV-2 is the less common strain of HIV and is mostly confined to West Africa.

How common is HIV?

2.1 million new cases of HIV were picked up globally in 2015. Around the world, 36.7 million people are living with HIV and as of June 2016, 17 million of these people are receiving medications. Roughly 1.1 million people died from HIV in 2015.

Where did HIV come from?

A similar virus known as Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) was found in chimpanzees in Central Africa. Scientists believe that this virus was passed on to humans when they came into contact with the infected blood when they were being hunted for meat. The SIV then mutated to the HIV we know today while in the human body.

How is HIV transmitted?

HIV can be transmitted via certain body fluids such as blood, semen (cum), pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), rectal fluid, vaginal fluid and breast milk from an person who has HIV. Contact of these fluids with damaged tissue (such as an open wound or oral ulcer) or with the rectum, vaginal, penis or mouth can cause an infection. Injection of these fluids directly into the blood stream (from a needle or syringe) confers the highest risk of transmission.

The most common route of transmission is the following:

Anal sex

Vaginal sex

Sharing needles/syringe/equipment used for injection of the infected person

Eating food that is partially chewed by a HIV-infected person (only know cases are infants)

Being bitten by an infected person

Contact between broken skin or wound

Deep/open mouth kissing when both partners have bleeding sores or gums (HIV is not spread via saliva)

What are the stages of HIV?

Stage 1: Acute HIV infection (Initial infection stage)

Within the first one month of exposure, the person may develop a flu-like symptoms that can last for weeks. This stage is very contagious as there is large amount of virus in person’s blood. The person infected is often not aware of this as they may not feel sick right away or even feel sick at all. To detect HIV at this stage, a fourth-generation HIV test or Nucleic Acid Test (HIV) is required.

Stage 2: Clinical latency (Hiding stage)

At this stage, the virus “goes into hiding”. The virus is still multiplying but at a very slow rate. Even though transmission of HIV at this stage is lower, it is still possible. This stage often has no symptoms. For those people not on medications, this stage usually lasts an average of ten years, with some progressing faster or slower. Nearing the end of this stage, the virus number increases with the CD4 cells number declining. The person starts developing symptoms as their body immunity weakens and they move into stage 3. Medications can delay the progression to the last stage and the risk of transmission is further reduced.

Stage 3: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, final stage)

This is the most serious stage of the HIV infection. This stage can be very infectious depending on the amount of virus in the body. The HIV almost completely wipes out the immune system, leaving the body susceptible to a wide range of severe infections and diseases, called opportunistic illnesses. If left untreated at this stage, a person survives for an average of 3 years. Symptoms of AIDS include fever, chills, sweats, swollen lymph nodes, general weakness and weight loss.

AIDS is distinguished from other stages of HIV infection when a blood test done shows a CD4 levels of lesser than 200 cells/mm or when there is presence of certain opportunistic illnesses.

Is there a cure for HIV?

There is currently no complete cure for HIV but with the right medications, HIV can be controlled, much like diabetes or high blood pressure. These medications are known as antiretroviral drugs/therapy (ART). Prior to the discovery of ART, HIV progresses to AIDS in a few years. Now, if an infected person is diagnosed early and starts ART in the early stages of the disease, they can greatly reduce their transmission to others and live almost as long as any other person without HIV.

How do I know I have HIV?

The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. Some people may develop flu-like symptoms from the 2nd to 4th week of infection (stage 1 HIV infection) while most others do not have any symptoms.

Should I get tested for HIV?

Anyone between 18 to 64 years old should get tested at least once as part of routine health care. (All NSF have done this before). If you have the following risk factors, you should get tested more frequently (such as once every 3 or 6 months).

When should I get tested for HIV?

HIV cannot be detected immediately after the infection. Previously, older tests (3rd generation test kits) can start picking up the infection 1 month after initial exposure and with certainty after 3 months of infection. With improvement in testing, the latest 4th generation test kit can detect the infection as early as 14 days and with certainty at 4 weeks period.

Time after exposure

How do I test?

Less than 13 days

Not recommended for testing unless previous high risk exposure and no previous HIV test done.

14 days and above

Testing with 4th generation test kits. Re-testing recommended.

28 days and above

Testing with 3rd or 4th generation test kit. If done with 4th generation test kit, retesting is not required. If done with 3rd generation testing kit, retesting is recommended at 90 days.

90 days and above

Testing with 3rd generation test kit. Retesting usually not recommended.

What is the difference between the 3rd and 4th generation HIV test kits?

The 3rd generation test kit can detect HIV from 28 days onward and can only safely exclude HIV at 90 days onward. The 4th generation test kit can detect HIV from 14 days onward and can safely exclude HIV at 28 days onward. This means that the 4th generation test kit can give you a definite answer earlier at 28 days while the older 3rd generation test kit can only do so at 90 days. The 3rd generation test kit tests for the antibody that the body produces against the virus while the 4th generation test kit tests for a particular component of the HIV virus known as P24 antigen. The body requires time to recognise and produce antibodies against HIV and thus the antibody level will always lag behind the P24 antigen level.